Arming and fusing adapter

ABSTRACT

A barrel of inflammable or shock sensitive liquid is turned into a bomb by attaching an arming and fusing adapter.

United States Patent 1 Sewell et al.

[ Apr. 2, 1974 ARMlNG AND FUSING ADAPTER [75] Inventors: Robert G. S. Sewell, China Lake;

Carl C. Austin, lnyokern; Carl C. Halsey, China Lake; Myron R. Smith, Lone Pine, all of Calif.

[73] Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC.

221 Filed: Sept. 13, 1972 21 'Appl. No; 288,808

[52] U.S. Cl. 102/6, 102/66 [51] F42b 25/14 [58} Field of Search 102/2, 6, 7, 66, 90

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,742,856 4/1956 Fieser et al. lO2/6 2,941,468 6/1960 Greene 2,719,486 10/1955 Plumley et a1.

Primary ExaminerSamuel W. Engle Attorney, Agent, or Firm-R. S. Sciascia; Roy Miller; L. E. K. Pohl [57] ABSTRACT A barrel of inflammable or shock sensitive liquid is turned into a bomb by attaching an arming and fusing adapter.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures Fig. 1

PATENIEUAPR 2l974 3 800 704 SHEET 2 BF 2 Fig. 2

ARMING AND FUSING ADAPTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to bombs. More particularly,

this invention relates to bombs which utilize an inflammable or shock sensitive liquid as the reactive material.

2. Description of the Prior Art While it is well known that barrels of inflammable liquids such as gasoline, kerosine, jet fuel, nitromethane and the like are potentially dangerous and can explode or burn rapidly in certain situations, the inventors know of no prior art concerned with deliberately turning barrels of inflammable or shock sensitive materials into anti-personnel or fire producing bombs other than the simple dropping of unarmed barrels with smoke grenades from aircraft. In the prior art, inflammable liquid hydrocarbons have been used as ingredients of napalm bombs and the like but, insofar as is known, the barrels in which inflammable or shock sensitive liquids ordinarily come to the consumer have never been considered for use as housings for integrally fused bombs. Since barrels containing inflammable liquids have not been used as integrally fused bomb housings, the inventors know of no prior art devices suitable for use in the deliberate ignition or detonation of liquid containing barrels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention resides in the use of a barrel in which inflammable or explosive liquid is contained as the housing for a bomb and in arming and fusing devices adapted to be screwed into the bunghole of such a barrel to cause it to explode or burn.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 of the drawing is a partially cross sectional and partially elevational view of an arming and fusing device suitable for use detonating a barrel in the practice of this invention.

FIG. 2 is partially cross sectional and partially elevational view of a device suitable for igniting a barrel in the practice of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Going first to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the numeral 11 is used to indicate an elevational view of a standard bomb fuse adapted to be armed by the spinning motion of a propeller. The bomb fuse is screwed into an adapter coupling 12 (shown in cross section) which is sized and threaded to fit the fuse. The coupling 12 may be of either metallic or plastic composition as may other parts of the arming and fusing device. A pipe 13, which may also be either metallic or plastic, is screwed into threads on the inner surface of the adapter coupling 12 and contains a booster charge 14 which may be any common explosive such as composition B or the like. The booster charge fills the interior ofthe pipe 13 and abuts against the base offuse 11 where it can easily be detonated. A pipe cap 15 is screwed onto threads around the outside of the base of pipe 13 to contain the booster charge. Also screwed onto the outside of the pipe 13 is a bushing 16 sized and having threads 17 adapted to permit it to be screwed into the threads of the bunghole of a barrel.

The arming and fusing device shown in FIG. 1 is used by screwing threads 17 into the bunghole threads of a barrel containing shock sensitive liquid and dropping the barrel which contains the device from an aircraft. By adapting the sizes of the various parts to suit various barrels, arming and fusing devices for any known size of barrel may be manufactured. As a barrel containing the device of FIG. 1 falls through the air the propeller of the bomb fuse spins and arms the fuse. Then, when the barrel strikes the ground the fuse detonates booster charge 14 which, in turn, detonates the shock sensitive liquid in the barrel causing the liquid to explode.

FIG. 2 of the drawing is a partially cross sectional and partially elevational view of apparatus particularly suitable for use with inflammable liquids. As in FIG. 1, the numeral 11 is used to indicate an elevational view of a standard propeller armed bomb fuse. The fuse 11 is screwed into an opening therefore in a pot 18 (shown in cross section) filled with white phosphorous or some other easily ignitable material. The pot l8 sits on a plug 19 which, in turn, sits in a cup-like portion of an adapter 20 which is screwed into the bunghole of a barrel 21 filled with inflammable liquid. Two plates 22, one having an opening which adapts it to fit around adapter 20 below the cup-like portion of the adapter and the other having an opening which adapts it to fit around the bomb fuse 11 as shown in the drawing, are utilized to hold the arming and fusing device of FIG. 2 together. The plates are clamped into place by a plurality of bolts 23 inserted through openings in the plates and fastened with nuts as shown in the drawing.

When a barrel of inflammable liquid containing the device of FIG. 2 is dropped from an aircraft, the fuse propeller spins arming the fuse. Then, when the barrel containing the device strikes the ground the fuse detonates and disperses the white phosphorous in pot 18 which then ignites. The barrel also naturally ruptures when it strikes the ground scattering inflammable liquid through the air. When the scattering liquid contacts the scattering and burning white phosphorous in the presence of air, ignition of the liquid occurs. Thus, the device of FIG. 2 coupled with a barrel of inflammable liquid produces a fire bomb.

We claim:

1. A bomb comprising:

a. a barrel containing a liquid selected from the group consisting of inflammable liquids and shock sensitive liquids and having a bunghole;

b. a propeller armed bomb fuse;

c. a pot of pyrotechnic material screwed into the base of said fuse;

d. an adapter having a cup-like portion and a threaded portion, said cup-like portion holding said pot of pyrotechnic material and said threaded portion screwed into the bunghole of said barrel;

e. a first plate having at least one hole in it, said hole fitting around the threaded portion of said adapter above the barrel and below the cup-like portion of said adapter and said first plate being in contact with the cup-like portion of said adapter;

f. a second plate having at least one hole in it, said hole fitting around said propeller armed bomb fuse above said pot of pyrotechnic material and said plate being in contact with the upper part of said pot of pyrotechnic material;

g. means for rigidly holding said first plate and said second plate parallel to each other in position where they keep the pot of pyrotechnic material and the cup-like portion of the adapter in close contact with one another. 

1. A bomb comprising: a. a barrel containing a liquid selected from the group consisting of inflammable liquids and shock sensitive liquids and having a bunghole; b. a propeller armed bomb fuse; c. a pot of pyrotechnic material screwed into the base of said fuse; d. an adapter having a cup-like portion and a threaded portion, said cup-like portion holding said pot of pyrotechnic material and said threaded portion screwed into the bunghole of said barrel; e. a first plate having at least one hole in it, said hole fitting around the threaded portion of said adapter above the barrel and below the cup-like portion of said adapter and said first plate being in contact with the cup-like portion of said adapter; f. a second plate having at least one hole in it, said hole fitting around said propeller armed bomb fuse above said pot of pyrotechnic material and said plate being in contact with the upper part of said pot of pyrotechnic material; g. means for rigidly holding said first plate and said second plate parallel to each other in position where they keep the pot of pyrotechnic material and the cup-like portion of the adapter in close contact with one another. 